A pair of Windy City lawyers is replacing Harvey Weinstein’s lead defense attorney for his upcoming Manhattan sex-assault trial, according to court papers.
Donna Rotunno and Damon Cheronis are taking over for Jose Baez, who asked Justice James Burke to let him off the case earlier this month in a scathing letter exclusively obtained by The Post.
“Once the trial starts I think everyone will see that the facts are good for us,” Rotunno said. “I’ve tried many sexual assault cases, probably more than any female they could find for a case like this.”
Rotunno won an acquittal for a prominent Chicago lawyer accused of sexually assaulting a young man in 2013 and represented ex-Chicago Bear Shaun Gayle after his pregnant girlfriend was murdered by a romantic rival in 2007.
In Rotunno and Cheronis’ affidavits to the court announcing they were retained by Weinstein, they agreed to honor the previously scheduled Sept 9 trial date.
Rotunno said she’s never tried a case in New York but will have guidance from Manhattan lawyers Arthur Aidala and Marianne Bertuna, who also represent Weinstein.
“I’m ready and geared up to take this on,” said Rotunno, who plans to temporarily relocate to the Big Apple.
In Baez’s letter to the judge asking to withdraw, he said that Weinstein refused to communicate directly with him, threatened to sue his firm and wouldn’t honor their agreed-upon fee.
Weinstein’s conflicts with prior attorneys don’t concern Rotunno. “I haven’t had any challenges getting along with him,” she said. “In fact, I’ve had nothing but positive interactions with him.”
Before Baez took over the case, high-powered lawyer Ben Brafman quit after a blow-up with the fallen film mogul.
Weinstein is accused of forcibly performing oral sex on production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raping a longtime lover in a Manhattan hotel in 2013.